Audubon Society: Two Hays Eaglets Have Fledged
PITTSBURGH (KDKA) – It's an exciting time in Pittsburgh's Hays bald eagle nest.
After much movement from one of the eaglets Friday morning, officials with the Audubon Society of Western Pennsylvania say it fledged at approximately 7:40 p.m.
Experts say it had been actively moving from the nest area up into the branches above the nest, preparing for its first flight.
Watch it here:
The other eaglet fledged around 2:30 p.m. Saturday.
Watch it here:
They hatched on March 21 and 22. Audubon Society officials say they are unable to tell if the fledged bird is the first or second that hatched in the nest.
"They are getting ready to transition to adulthood, and spread their wings," said Chris Kubiak with the Audubon Society of Western Pennsylvania.
As you can see on the live camera, the young eagles have been testing out their wings a lot.
CLICK HERE TO WATCH LIVE EAGLE CAMERA
After taking their first flight, they will only be around the same tree for a few weeks.
"After about six weeks, their parents will start to basically drive them out and move them to a different territory," said Kubiak.
The eaglets have a lot of fans here in Western Pennsylvania. Avid watcher Sue Killmeyer said she can't wait to see them fly.
"I'm really excited about it, been watching since two years ago and that was really fun, and now we watch these guys, we watched the eggs hatch," she said. "When they take off we know they're going to do well, they are strong and healthy."
They aren't out of the woods yet. Kubiak explained that the first year away from the nest is a dangerous one for a young eaglet.
"Something could happen, they could injure their wings, other parts of their body, so it is a challenging time for them," he said.
In 2014, the eaglets fledged about the 20th of June.
Birds – eagles included – have only a 50-50 chance of surviving the first year. So the odds are against all three making it. Still, so far, so good. Early on, the last born eaglet could have been eaten by others for food.
